Entry tags:

idea, illustration, new york city, nyc, problem solving, public spaces

Crowdsourcing Sidewalk Snow Removal
This winter I've been thinking about ways to crowdsource sidewalk snow removal. I was inspired by the Johnny Applesandal, a sandal with "phytoremediating" plant seeds built into the sole, which are slowly deposited as the sandal wears away.

I walk 1.3 miles to work every day in the morning, and in my experience, half of the landlords in Astoria don't salt or shovel the snow off their sidewalk after a snow storm. As a result, frequent traffic and daytime warmth pack the snow into dangerous ice. (I took a spill this winter, and I am a sprightly, active young man!)

Legally the onus to clear the sidewalk is on the landlord, but really, shouldn't the people who use the sidewalk be responsible for it? I think there may be a distributed, casual way to solve this problem. A lot of kinetic energy goes into compressing the snow under each step that could instead be harnessed to move or melt it.

Below are a few sketches. They all have flaws, but hopefully they will inspire better ideas. My design requirements were that the solution be casual (nobody wants to spend more energy on their morning commute), comfortable, affordable (rich people don't walk), and sustainable.

Salt Shaker Shoe: A shoe with a hollow sole for storing deicing salt, and holes on the bottom for gradual distribution.

• Can it be comfortable?
  
• Can it be structurally sound?
  
• How difficult would it be to refill the salt?
  
• Would people be willing to spend money on their own salt?

Salt Shaker Backpack Attachment: A clip-on backpack attachment that stores salt and sprinkles it on each step.

• How much would it weigh?
  
• Do enough people wear backpacks to make this worthwhile?
  
• Would people be willing to spend money on their own salt?

Salt purchase and distribution seems like the biggest issue with these first two designs, which is not a technological problem at all and could be solved municipally. Imagine bins of salt on each street corner free for public use, whether for a landlord's sidewalk or for your own salt distribution device.




Bellows Shoe: A shoe that uses the force of each step to blow snow out of the way. When the shoe is lifted, air is sucked in; when the shoe makes contact with ground under the weight of walker, air is quickly forced out.

• Can it actually move snow?
  
• If so, can it move snow out of the way?
  
• Can it be comfortable?
  
• Would walking require extra effort?

Heated Shoe: A shoe with a rechargeable battery and a heater built into the sole, which melts snow upon contact (and keeps your foot warm in the process).

• Can it melt any snow in that short time of contact?
  
• If so, can the melted snow stay liquid long enough to flow off the sidewalk or will it immediately refreeze into ice?
  
• Can it be safe?